LILA 2020 Special Mention in Public Project category


From the jury statement: Although the tiny district of Yongqing Fang still contains historical remnants, their small number limits the possibilities for a strong experience. The streetscapes successfully strengthen this quarter with a series of sensitive, highly poetic and well-measured interventions. Throwing away classical categories of old and new and the usual need to contrast these, the design playfully combines new interpretations of building techniques and materials to create a moving and powerful sense of contemporary, historic place.

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Lab D+H: This design for Yongqing Fang is related to one of the most important renovation projects of Guangzhou old Alleyways. Yongqing Fang sits in the heart of old town Guangzhou. It used to be the economic center of southern China until the recession in the 1950s. In recent years, Guangzhou has undergone a major boom in urbanization; many historic sites and the main street have regained reputation through major redevelopment and refurbishment, yet Yongqingfang was left to decay. In 2016, Vanke Group stepped in and started a transformation process for the old town. Vanke’s strategy is to retain the original residents so the social ties can be maintained. Our design calls for redesigning the three abandoned alleyways to creat an unique space so new and old residents can linger and mingle. The vast different architecture styles of the buildings on site posed the biggest challenge. To address this, we proposed an overarching structure consists of 3 layers so different elements can be seamlessly connected: Linkage system, Culture system and Eco system.

© Lab D+H

In the Linkage system, a path is planned with unique historic pavement that connects different buildings and surrounding communities; the Cultural system creates nods as public gathering spots; And the Eco system creates a green space in the roof top. In order to better demonstrate the rich history of the site, we gathered the original building materials: tiles, brick, nature stone, and wood, and turned them into landscape elements.

Data

Project Location: Guangzhou, China
Client: Guangzhou Vanke
Landscape Architect: Lab D+H
Design Team: Zhongwei Li, Huicheng Zhong, Nan Lin, Zongjie Liang , Hao Lan
Design/Construction: Sept 2016 / Jan 2017

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